Adjustable elevation building

ABSTRACT

A building is provided with supporting legs which are individually adjustable by means of jacks which are operable from inside the building to change its elevation.

[54] ADJUSTABLE ELEVATHQN BUILDER/1G 6566666 0 20222 1 1.1177 /4/////4U24222 5 55555 2 12mm 1,024,860 4/1912 Kline [72] Inventor: K011112111R,Tip101n,249 ElCamunito,Liverg affa1l1e.... 94550 2,849,211 8/1958Shoesmith 22 Filed: Nov. 112, 1969 3,152,366 10/1964 MCCI'OIYetaL.3,355,993 12/1967 Roemisch......... [211 APPI-NW 876,015 3,437,3624/1969 OffeDbr01Ch......

[52] Us C 52,126 52/64 52/124 FOREIGNPA'IENTSORAPPLICATIONS 52/726,254/30, 254/106 622,354 12/1962 Belgium................. ....52/1261150419 5/58, E04b 7/16, B66f1 1/04 [51] 11111. [58] F1010!01Sea1rc11........... ....52/64, 66, 124, 126, 745, 726, PrimaryExaminer-Frank L. Abbott 52/749; 61/465; 254/29, 30, 106 AssistantExaminer-Leslie A. Braun ABSTRACT References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSA building is provided with supporting legs which are individuallyadjustable by means of jacks which are 0 6/1948 from inside the buildinparable m 0 m Wu 2 mm m .....m e m nn MD 07 m g 52/749 ......52/66Satterlee et al.

2,444,122 Wahl 392,764 11/1888 Thomas..........

PATENIEU JAN 1 8 m2 SHEET 1 OF 3 FIG.5

INVENTOR. (Z/ -q Q T;-

PAIENIEBmwm 3,634,985

SHEET 3 0F 3 INVENTOR.

I ADJUSTABLE ELEVATION BUILDING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates generally to buildings and in particular to buildingswhich are adjustable as to elevation above their supporting surface.

Generally, the buildings of the prior art were constructed on a fixedfoundation such as legs, piers, pilings, or load-supporting walls whichwere buried to a depth sufficient to maintain the building level and ata fixed elevation.

For certain types of structures, such as temporary buildings, it isdesirable to be able to place the building in a particular locationwithout any site preparation, such as grading or leveling the ground orthe placing thereon of loadsupporting piers which must be leveled andupon which the building will rest.

In certain instances, where heavy snowfalls occur, it is desirable to beable to raise or lower the building to maintain the entrance theretolevel with the top of the snow so that as the snow level increases, thebuilding can be raised various increments or as the snow melts thebuilding can be lowered various increments as required, from inside thebuilding.

The buildings of the prior art, typically, were raised by means ofjacks, however, they were only operable from outside the building orunder it and, because the jacks had a limited reach, the building couldbe raised only to a given elevation. To lift the building any higher,required supplementary shoring, returning the jack to its shortestlength and then, using a higher support under the jack, repeating theprocess of lifting the building.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The apparatus of the present invention providesa structure that is capable of resting on any type of terrain and isvertically adjustable to any elevation above the ground or supportingsurface limited only by the structural strength of its legs and thedesign of any supporting means at the base of its legs used to resistany overturning forces acting upon the structure.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide abuilding that is adjustable as to elevation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a building which isadjustable to any type of terrain and which can be leveled without theneed ofsite preparation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a building in whichthe adjustment of elevation is accomplished within the confines ofthestructure.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a building thatis resistant to overturning without the need for a buried foundation.

Other and more particular objects will be manifest upon study of thefollowing description when taken together with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an isometric view of atypical embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a mechanical jack used for raising andlowering a leg of the building;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the jack of FIG. 2 takenat lines 3-3;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view ofa typical sectional leg showing a methodof connecting the sections together;

FIG. 5 is an elevational sectional view showing in greater detail themethod of connecting the leg sections together;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view ofa second type ofjack which may be usedto raise and lower a leg ofthe building; and,

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the method of supporting the building inorder to resist overturning forces acting on the building.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1, theadjustable elevation building of the present invention comprises,basically, a shelter 10 having a roof 11, load-supporting walls 12, ameans for ingress and egress 14, and a floor or platform 15, allsupported by legs 16 connected to shelter 10 by means ofmechanical jacks18.

A typical mechanical jack 18 is illustrated in FIG. 2 and comprises aninner sleeve 20 telescopically disposed around leg 16 and attached tostructural member 21 of wall 12 by means of a web 23 and mounting bolts24.

A movable or upper sleeve 26 is disposed telescopically about innersleeve 20 and is arranged to be free to move up and down.

A fixed or lower sleeve 27 is also disposed telescopically about innersleeve 20 below upper sleeve 26 but attached to sleeve 20 and web 23 asby welding or the like.

An operating handle 29 is pivotally connected to web 23 with pin 30 andis also connected to movable sleeve 26 by link 31. The purpose oflink 31is to raise sleeve 26 when handle 29 is raised.

When handle 29 is lowered, a bearing point 32 is provided on sleeve 26to receive the underside of handle 29 and be forced downwardly thereby.

Leg 16 is, in the present embodiment, generally rectangular and isprovided along its length on all four sides with a plurality ofequallyspaced slots 34.

Inner sleeve 20 is also provided with slots 36 adjacent to fixed orlower sleeve 27 and slots 37 adjacent to movable or upper sleeve 26.

It will be noted that, since lower sleeve 27 is fixed relative to innersleeve 20, slots 36 in inner sleeve 20 need only be as long as slots 34in leg 16.

In the case of upper sleeve 26, however, slots 37 in inner sleeve 20should be of a length approximately equal to the distance between thebottom of one slot 34 in leg 16 to the top of the next slot above. Thislength is required of slots 37 because, as will be more fully describedbelow, the full vertical distance that movable sleeve 26 can travel mustbe sufficient for pawls 40 on sleeve 26 to release themselves from oneslot 34 in leg 16 and move to and engage the next slot 34 either aboveor below while leg 16 is held in a fixed position by pawls 49a in loweror fixed sleeve 27.

A set of slots 38 are also provided in movable sleeve 26 and are adaptedto receive pawls 40 permitting them to swing in and out of slots 37 and38 in order to engage slots 34 in leg 16. A similar set of slots 38a areprovided in fixed sleeve 27 and are adapted to receive pawls 40apermitting them to also swing in and out ofslots 36 and 38a in order toengage slots 34 in leg 16. In all cases, the slots are of approximatelythe same width and are, necessarily, longitudinally aligned.

With particular reference to the structure of movable sleeve 26, a pivotarm 41 is attached to each pawl 40. The configuration of pivot arm 41 ismore readily seen in FIG. 3 which is a cross-sectional view ofjack 18taken at lines 3-3.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 3, pivot arm 41 is journaled in bearingblocks 42 disposed on each side of pawl 40 and attached to sleeve 26 asby welding or the like.

With reference to both FIGS. 2 and 3, an operating or release arm 43 isprovided to move pawls 40 in and out of engagement with slots 34.

Operating arm 43 comprises a handle 45 attached to a bracket 46 which ispivotally connected to web 23 by a pin 47.

A slot 48 is provided in bracket 46 to receive the end of pivot arm 41.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, one end of pivot arm 41 is bent at a 45angle with the tip of the arm projecting through slot 48.

The 45 bend in arm 41 provides a sufficient setoff so that it will actin the manner of a crank. Thus, when bracket 46 is raised to rotateabout pin 47, the ends of pivot arms 41 are raised and pivot arm 41 iscaused to rotate in bearing blocks 42. Since pivot arms 41 are attachedto pawls 40, the pawls are caused to swing out and away from slots 34 totherefore release or disengage from leg 16.

An identical combination of pawls, pivot arms, operating arm, bracket,and slots are provided on lower or fixed sleeve 27 and are identified bythe suffix a after the reference numeral corresponding to the sameelement identified on sleeve 26.

To operate jack 18, the operator merely raises and lowers handle 29 toeither engage slots 34 in leg 16 at the bottom of the stroke or the topof the stroke depending upon whether he wants to raise or lower thebuilding.

For example, to raise structure 10, handle 29 is raised until pawls 40engage a slot 34 at the upper end of the stroke. Pawls 40 and 4011 arenaturally forced inwardly by virtue of the weight of handles 45 and 45abearing down on pivot arms 41 and 41a respectively.

Handle 29 is then lowered, thus forcing leg 16 down until pawls 40aengage the next slot 34 in line on leg 16. Handle 29 is then raisedcausing pawl 40a to bear the full upward force of leg 16 through slot34.

While pawl 40a bears this upward force, handle 29 is raised until pawl40 engages the next higher slot in leg 16, whereupon handle 29 is againpushed down causing pawl 40 to now bear the full upward force ofleg 16through slot 34, and force leg 16 down until pawl 40a again engages thenext slot in line, whereupon handle 29 is raised to cause the fullupward force ofleg 16 to bear against pawl 40a.

The process can thus be repeated until structure is raised to thedesired elevation, i.e., the leg 16 is forced down through jack 18.

To lower structure 10, i.e., permit leg 16 to pass up through jack 18,handle 29 is lowered until pawls 40 engage a slot 34 in leg 16 and bearthe full upward force of leg 16 through the pawls. Handle 45a is thenraised to cause, as previously described, pawls 40a to rotate away andout of slots 34. While handle 45a is held in the raised position, handle29 is allowed to rise. Handle 45a is then released so that pawls 40awill engage the next lower slot 34 when handle 29 has reached the upperend ofits travel.

Pawls 40a upon engaging the next lower slot 34 will thereupon bear thefull upward force ofleg 16, and release the force from pawls 40.

While at the top of its upward travel, handle 29 is held in place andhandle 45 is raised to release pawls 40 in the same manner as previouslydescribed for lower sleeve 27, so that handle 29 may then be lowered tothe next lower slot 34 when pawls 40 are moved away from slots 34.Handle 45 is then released so that pawls 40 may then engage the nextlower slot 34 in leg 16 and the process repeated until structure 10 islowered to the desired elevation.

In order that structure 10 may be raised to any elevation without limitexcept for structural strength of the legs, legs 16 are assembled insections as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Each section is arranged to abut the next so that the outside dimensionsofleg 16 remains constant in order to pass through jack 18. Toaccomplish this, each abutting joint is provided with a sectionconnector sleeve 50 inside leg 16 of a length sufficient to providestiffness to the joint.

Typically, as shown in FIG. 5, connector sleeve 50 is held in place by adetent assembly 51 comprising a pair of pin catches 52 attached at theends of spring bias 53. A hole 55 common to both sleeve 50 and leg 16 isprovided on opposite sides of leg 16 which is adapted to receive pincatch 52. The length of pin catch 52 is generally equal to or slightlyless than the combined wall thickness of sleeve 50 and leg 16 butgreater than the wall thickness of sleeve 50.

A section of leg 16 can be released from sleeve 50 by depressing pins 52on each side ofleg 16 with a rod or tool 56 to a pointjust clear of theinside surface of leg 16 by virtue of the flexing action of spring bias53. Leg 16 may then be lifted from connector 50 and pin catches 52released to allow them to protrude out of the hole in the connector.

Sections of leg 16 may be added by again depressing pin catches 52 sothat they are even with the inside surface of leg 16 and then placingleg 16 over sleeve 50 and down until catches 52 protrude through hole 55common to both sleeve 50 and leg 16.

Thus any number ofleg sections may be assembled together without limitas to length ofleg 16.

With reference to FIG. 6, a second type of mechanical jack 118 is shownin which a means for frictionally engaging leg 16 is used for raisingand lowering structure 16.

The operation ofjack 118 is generally similar to the operation ofjack 18in that a movable upper sleeve 126 is used to grasp and raise or lowerleg 16 while a lower or fixed sleeve 127 is used to hold leg 16 fixedwhile movable sleeve 126 returns to its original position.

Sleeve 126 is provided with a pair of shoes pivoted at pins 142 with arelease handle 143 pivotally attached to sleeve 126 by means of pin 147and adapted to push shoes 140 down and away from leg 16.

Shoes 140 and 140a are arranged at an angle about 7 with the planenormal to the longitudinal axis of leg 16 in order to achieve a completefrictional grasp of the leg.

An identical configuration of shoes and release handle arrangement isprovided for fixed sleeve 127 disposed below movable sleeve 126.

Shoes 140a, pins 1420, release handle 143a, and pins 147a on lowersleeve 127 correspond in structure and function to shoes 140, pins 142,release handle 143, and pins 147 on upper sleeve 126.

The procedure of raising and lowering of shelter 10 by use ofjack 118 isidentical to the procedure previously described for jack 18,

To raise shelter 10, handle 129 is merely pumped up and down. As sleeve126 rises, shoes 140 will slide up leg 16. When sleeve 126 is lowered,shoes 140 will, by frictional forces, be lifted up and tend to pinchtogether against leg 16 causing it to move down. Shoes 140a will permitleg 16 to slide downwardly and when the pressure is released from handle129, any upward movement of leg 16 will tend to cause shoes 140a topinch and hold leg 16 until sleeve 126 has been raised to its uppermostposition. The process is repeated until shelter 10 is raised to thedesired elevation.

To lower shelter 10, handle 129 is lowered to its lowest position andhandle 143a is raised to release shoes 140a, whereupon handle 129 israised to its upper most position taking leg 16 with it and then handle14311 is lowered to cause shoes 14011 to again engage leg 16.

Handle 145 is then raised to release shoes 140 so that sleeve 126 can bedropped to its lowest position without engaging leg 16. The process isthen repeated until structure 10 is lowered to the desired elevation.

Referring back to FIG. 1, it is often necessary to provide for differentload bearing capacities of the ground or other material upon whichshelter 10 is being placed. For this reason an adjustable foot 60 isprovided at the lower end of leg 16 to distribute the weight ofshelter10 over a larger area.

With reference to FIG. 2, foot 60 comprises a load plate 61 attached toan adjustable sleeve 62 adapted to slide up and down leg 16. A slot 64is provided through sleeve 62 corresponding in size to slot 34 in leg 16and adapted to receive rectangular sheer pin 66 in order to connect foot60 to leg 16. Pin 66 can be held in place either by friction or by othermeans such as cotter pins, bolts, and the like (not shown) common in theart.

Where the supporting surfaces is soft or composed of particulatematerial such as sand, it is desirable that a portion of leg 16 beprotruding below foot 60 in order to prevent shelter 10 from slidingsideways upon application ofa lateral force to the shelter Adjustablefoot 60, in this instance, can be raised or lowered to obtain a betterfooting and allow more or less of leg 16 to be embedded into the grounddepending upon the horizontal resistance desired.

In certain instances, where shelter 10 is elevated above the ground, itis subject to greater overturning moments due to lateral forces as bythe wind or earthquakes.

Since one of the primary advantages ofthe adjustable elevation buildingof the present invention is its ability to be placed at any location onany type of terrain without the need of site preparation, the supportstructure illustrated in FIG. 7 is typical of the method of preventingoverturning of the building from lateral forces.

In FIG. 7, outriggers 70 are attached to each of two legs 16 at theirbase and extend outwardly therefrom along the surface of the ground orsupporting surface for bearing thereon.

To provide an anchor against sliding, a portion of leg 16 may extendbelow outrigger 70 into the ground.

The length of outrigger 70 required to resist a particular moment may beeasily calculated by methods well known in the art, knowing the lateralforces, weight of shelter l0, and length of the moment arms.

in addition, it can be seen that if outriggers 70 were fabricated from aheavy material such as concrete, the weight of outrigger 70 wouldcontribute to resisting any overturning forces.

Although outriggers are described above as a method of resistingoverturning ofshelter 10, it is not contemplated that ordinary buriedfoundations are precluded from use with the present apparatus.

Since the adjustable elevation building of the present invention can beraised to any elevation limited only by the structural strength of legs16, when raised to a great height, the only practical supportingfoundation that can be used would be a deeply buried one.

When shelter 16 is raised to a great height, as, for example, in FIG. 7,structural cross bracing 75 will be required.

To gain access to shelter 10 when raised to high elevations, a trap door(not shown) common in the art can be attached to legs 16 and crossbracing 75 for a person to climb up and down for ingress and egress toshelter 10.

lclaim:

1. An adjustable elevation structure comprising a platform, at leastthree load-supporting legs depending through said platform and restingon a supporting surface, said legs comprising individually abuttingsections and section connectors, said section connectors comprising aconnector sleeve telescopically disposed in said abutting sections, pinconnectors passing transversely through said sleeve and each of saidabutting sections, and a spring biased against said pin connectorsholding said pins in said sleeve and abutting ends, and individual meansslidably disposed on each of said legs for raising and lowering saidplatform and accessible to an operator above within the area of saidplatform for operating said means.

2. An adjustable elevation structure comprising a platform, at leastthree load-supporting legs depending through said platform and restingon a supporting surface, and individual means slidably disposed on eachof said legs for raising and lowering said platform and accessible to anoperator above and within the area of said platform for operating saidmeans, wherein said means for raising and lowering said platform is ajack comprising a support frame connected to said platform, a fixedsleeve slidably disposed on said leg and attached to said support frame,a movable sleeve slidably disposed on said leg, means for raising andlowering said movable sleeve relative to said fixed sleeve, said meanspivotally connected to said support frame and connected to said movablesleeve, means connected to said fixed sleeve for engaging anddisengaging said leg with said fixed sleeve, and separate meansconnected to said movable sleeve for engaging and disengaging said leg.

1. An adjustable elevation structure comprising a platform, at least three load-supporting legs depending through said platform and resting on a supporting surface, said legs comprising individually abutting sections and section connectors, said section connectors comprising a connector sleeve telescopically disposed in said abutting sections, pin connectors passing transversely through said sleeve and each of said abutting sections, and a spring biased against said pin connectors holding said pins in said sleeve and abutting ends, and individual means slidably disposed on each of said legs for raising and lowering said platform and accessible to an operator above within the area of said platform for operating said means.
 2. An adjustable elevation structure comprising a platform, at least three load-supporting legs depending through said platform and resting on a supporting surface, and individual means slidably disposed on each of said legs for raising and lowering said platform and accessible to an operator above and within the area of said platform for operating said means, wherein said means for raising and lowering said platform is a jack comprising a support frame connected to said platform, a fixed sleeve slidably disposed on said leg and attached to said support frame, a movable sleeve sliDably disposed on said leg, means for raising and lowering said movable sleeve relative to said fixed sleeve, said means pivotally connected to said support frame and connected to said movable sleeve, means connected to said fixed sleeve for engaging and disengaging said leg with said fixed sleeve, and separate means connected to said movable sleeve for engaging and disengaging said leg. 